First death sentence over deadly 1984 riots

An Indian court yesterday handed down the first death sentence over anti-Sikh riots in 1984 that left nearly 3,000 dead following the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi. Relatives of victims rejoiced in the capital New Delhi after the judge announced the verdict, the first since a Special Investigation Team took over the probe in 2015.

The 1984 carnage erupted just hours after then-premier Gandhi was killed by her Sikh bodyguards. additional sessions Judge Ajay Pandey awarded the death sentence on Tuesday to Yashpal Singh and a life sentence to Naresh Sherawat, both for murder, rioting and other charges.

The duo were convicted last week of killing Hardev Singh and Avtar Singh, two men in their 20s, in south Delhi’s Mahipalpur during the riots. The verdict was pronounced in Delhi’s high-security Tihar Jail due to security concerns after an attack last week on the convicts on the premises of the Delhi court.